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Which Weed Vape Is Right For You?

There are purists who will claim that letting too much technology come between you and your THC is a bad thing; that we’ve gone too far and tainted the beautiful gift Mother Nature has bestowed upon us. Those people are annoying, and also missing the point. A vaporizer doesn’t replace your favorite ways to inhale, or risk making your artisanal j-rolling skills obsolete. A vaporizer lets you toke up anywhere, easily, and discreetly. With that in mind, we packed four of the newest, most innovative "loose-leaf vaporizers" (as they’re euphemistically deemed) to find the vaping world’s greatest hits.

You know Silicon Valley’s tech-it-up mentality has reached its saturation point when your vape has Bluetooth built in. Stoner dads, grads, and other safety-and-health-conscious burners who can stomach the price and own a smartphone will dig the way the Crafty’s app let’s you monitor and adjust the heat (which effects the taste and protects the throat). They’ll also appreciate the automatic shutoff (No more: "Duuude, I torched the stash…").

The Crafty’s overall smart design, quality materials like an aluminum heat exchanger, and the inclusion of the requisite accessories (grinder, cleaning stuff, charger) won’t harsh any thoughtful stoner’s mellow either. It’s certainly not sexy, but the surreptitious could claim that’s an upside. The Crafty is a rig for folks who like functionality in their equipment, if not always in themselves. Like all vapes, it’s hard to hide from the kids), since it needs to be charged and takes time to cool down before you can tuck it back in the shoebox in the toolshed (what, you thought they didn’t know?). but we can guarantee you’ll be high as fuck when you do.

With its sleek design and single-button setup, the original Pax blew open the vape game, proving that indo and ingenuity go hand-in-hand. It’s also what got me into smoking, because it was just so damn simple to use, and looked so sleek. It looked like something Marty McFly would have brought back from his travels. People marveled when I broke it out at parties (and concerts, and my parents’ backyard, and…) Call it my gateway drug’s gateway drug.

The best part of the Pax 2 is that it doesn’t screw with the formula. It’s a little sleeker, a little smarter. Gone is the fussy, wonky retractable top—now it’s your choice of simple silicone mouthpieces. Battery life is up, and so’s the brainpower: the Pax 2 can sense when you’re taking a toke, then optimize both temperature and power use to conserve energy.

It’ll also play Funky Town—seriously.

Pulling takes a little more work than other vapes, and you gotta perfect the art of packing the bowl to get the best hit (fine-but-not-dusty grind, overfill it a tad and tamp down). But those are small complaints for being able to vape from the future. —JON WILDE

The Vapium bills itself as "rugged" and "weather friendly" (language lifted directly from the press release), which mostly translates to "made from plastic and rubber" and works in crazy hot temps—410 degrees Fahrenheit, for example. So if you want to toke up at bikram yoga, or in the sauna, or on the surface of the sun, you should be fine. Sadly, the Vapium Summit is not waterproof, so vaping in the shower remains a dream unrealized by mankind.

But behind the overhyped marketing concept and the baby-thermometer looks is a super-simple, quick-charging, easy-cleaning vape that’s very gentle on your wallet. And we have an idea what you can spend your saved money on. —ERIC SULLIVAN

Upon first sight the Firefly is reminiscent of a retro-lu Italian refrigerator. I mean that as a compliment. It’s painted beautifully and heavy as hell, because it’s made almost completely out of thick metal. It’s a bit too bulky for a pocket, meaning it’s better parked in your home or all-terrain hovercraft.

That said, hyper-geeky vape-reviewers claim it’s the best vapor-quality from a non-desktop device, and I’m not going to argue. Dynamic convection heating keeps the hits consistent and means you won’t waste any precious greenery.

The Firefly also radically changed my weed experience. It gave me a clean, clear high with a gentle body awareness—a nice contrast from my usual paranoia, swamp-ass, and poor blood circulation. And whether I’m watching leaked Game of Thrones episodes or talking shit in the Mortal Kombat X multiplayer lobby, this is the coddled vaping experience I want, and deserve.—BENJY HANSEN-BUNDY